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Joe Gibbs Racing has added another driver for the No. 18 Toyota Supra. John Hunter Nemechek will return to the team for three NASCAR Xfinity Series races, starting with Richmond Raceway on April 2.
JGR announced the news on March 15. The team confirmed that Nemechek will make more starts in 2022 after previously taking the No. 54 to Victory Lane in 2021. He will have Safeway as his primary partner for the trip to Richmond.
Nemechek’s season will continue with a return to Dover Motor Speedway on April 30 with ACME as his primary. He will wrap up his schedule at Texas Motor Speedway on September 24. ROMCO will serve as the primary for this final race.
“I am really excited to have this opportunity to race again in JGR’s Xfinity Series program after the success we had last season,” Nemechek said in a statement. “We were able to pick up a win in just three starts and hopefully we can add to that success this season.
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“I am also looking forward to working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who has found Victory Lane with a lot of different drivers over the years. I really appreciate the support of my long-term partners Safeway, ACME, and ROMCO for coming on board to support me and of course Toyota.”
Nemechek Recently Made History for Another Organization
The addition of Nemechek to the JGR lineup is fresh on the heels of two consecutive starts for another organization. He joined Sam Hunt Racing for trips to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway while driving the No. 26 Toyota Supra.
The second of these races, the United Rentals 200, featured a historic performance by Nemechek. He led a total of 11 laps in the No. 26 Toyota, the first in Sam Hunt Racing history, and he delivered a fifth-place finish while battling drivers from JR Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Kaulig Racing.
This top-five finish was the second that Nemechek delivered in two seasons with SHR, following up on a third-place finish at Richmond Raceway in 2021. Nemechek is currently the only driver to post top-fives for the team.
Nemechek Joins Several Drivers at JGR
The full-time Truck Series driver is the latest person to join JGR and the No. 18 team. Drew Dollar made his Xfinity Series debut at Daytona International Speedway, and he will return to the stock car for both Talladega Superspeedway races and the August 26 return to Daytona International Speedway.
Trevor Bayne was the next to join the list. He initially set a seven-race schedule that started with the trip to Auto Club Speedway and included the first race at Phoenix Raceway. However, he added an eighth race by agreeing to take over the No. 18 for the March 19 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ryan Truex rounded out the available list with a start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With Bayne returning to the No. 18 for the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, JGR has a set lineup for the next event on the schedule. However, the team has yet to reveal who will be in control for the return to Circuit of the Americas on March 26.
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